2018 Fantasy Baseball: Post Winter Meetings Breakdown– NL West

We finally come to an end of our series on the post Winter Meetings breakdowns. The Dodgers were arguably the best team in baseball since they had the best regular season record. They also had both wild card teams for the National League last season. So, you would think this would be as competitive a division again next season. This doesn’t even mention the Giants who have the financial wherewithal to make a comeback next season.

Is Boxberger equal to Rodney? I suppose that’s the main question at this point when you look at what has been done. They are almost certain to lose Martinez as well. Otherwise, it is probably going to be an uneventful offseason. They are in an unfortunate position of being a good distance away from the Dodgers and yet too good to tank.

Major Moves on the Horizon

There were rumblings that they are shopping Zack Greinke. Of course, Greinke is weighing down their payroll like an anvil. It will take some doing to deal him and they would likely have to take a bad contract or two back to make that work. Odds are better than they return with the pitching staff they have.

When you have a combination of Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado you are going to at least make some noise. The question has always been whether the Rockies can cobble enough pitching to put around him. They certainly have enough offense to put around them and there is always a chance they could get more.

Major Moves on the Horizon

There is always a chance that the Rockies could bring in an established first baseman and move Ian Desmond to one of the two corner outfield slots. His signing was always a curious one. If they decided to bring Lucroy back it would also give them a dangerous catcher combination as well.

The Dodgers consummated a deal that could only occur in the modern game. The deal netted them Matt Kemp and there is a strong chance he doesn’t ever suit up with the Dodgers. So, why trade two starters a middle infielder, and aging first baseman for that? It brings them below the luxury tax threshold. That means little for them this offseason, but could mean a lot when free agency hits in 2019. Explaining that would require a degree in accounting, so we will just say the deal makes sense for non-baseball reasons.

Major Moves on the Horizon

It’s rare when one deal solves your problems, but if Kemp stays he might even help their left field problem. More to the point, they had a glut of expensive players that were doing little to nothing for them. They are now gone. This will make it easier for younger players to come up and make an impact when they are ready.

The Padres took on the salary of Headley to acquire Mitchell. So, Headley may or may not be dealt before he dons a Padres uniform again. If he plays for the Padres he will give them decent offensive and defensive performance at third base. Galvis will do the same at short. The combination should help out of the pitchers after a dreadful season at that end of the diamond.

Major Moves on the Horizon

The Padres still aren’t in win-now mode, so any deal that nets them a good prospect or two is likely to happen. Still, they have been rumored to be in on Eric Hosmer. Such a deal would relocate Wil Myers to left field and give the Padres another credible player in that lineup. They are slowly but surely building a respectable team down there.

If it could go wrong it did go wrong for the Giants last season. They lost Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto for portions of the season. Plus, the offense disappeared for weeks at a time due to injuries to Hunter Pence and ineffectiveness at other positions for long periods of time. These are things that are not likely to happen again, but there are still holes to fill. Thank God Matt Cain retired. His salary has been a drag for several seasons.

Major Moves on the Horizon

Centerfield is a hole you could drive a bus through. Denard Span is a credible hitter, but his range is shot and should be moved to either the bench or a corner outfield slot at worst. They wanted Stanton, but he wouldn’t accept a deal there. A major addition somewhere would raise the spirits of this proud franchise. Lorenzo Cain would look great in a Giants uniform.